Cleaning of aquarium interior surfaces which are difficult to access or have other limitations, require specialized cleaning devices. In the aquarium art it is desirable to be able to clean the interior of the glass or clear plastic walls without draining the tank or reaching into the water. The currently available devices for cleaning the interior surface of the aquarium wall use two oppositely charged magnets carried in specially adapted housings.
The first magnet is positioned on the outside of the glass with the second magnet on the inside of the glass in the tank. The second magnet has a covering of a rough or abrasive substance as a cleaning surface to scrape off algae and other materials adhered to the glass. The outer magnet case has a smooth resilient surface to avoid scratching or marring the external surface of the glass. The magnets are positioned adjacent one another on the internal and external surfaces of the glass. The internal magnet is attracted to the external magnet. The external magnet is moved by hand over the glass with the internal magnet following the motion. This induced motion of the internal magnet moves the cleaning surface across the inner surface of the glass to clean the glass. An example of this type of device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. 6,348,104 entitled DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CLEANING AQUARIUM WINDOWS issued on Feb. 19, 2002 to Bakker.
The device in Bakker also has the property that upon disengagement of the internal and external magnetic devices, the internal element floats to the surface of the water in the aquarium for retrieval. However, this property prevents recovery of the internal element anywhere but on the surface of the water and floating buoyancy tends to uncouple the internal and external units. Current products like that disclosed in Bakker have weight or buoyancy distribution within the internal element such that immediately upon disengagement the polarized faces of the internal element magnets orient themselves in a perpendicular plane to the glass thus minimizing the chance for re-engagement.
It is therefore desirable to have a remotely actuated surface cleaning device capable of more vigorous cleaning action. It is further desirable to have a cleaning device with a reduced profile cleaning component for access to areas in which other objects are in close proximity to the glass thereby limiting accessibility. It is also desirable to have a flexible inner component to conform to convex or concave glass surfaces. It is also desirable to distribute the bouyancy proximate one end of the inner cleaning component such that the polarized magnet faces remain parallel to the aquarium glass upon disengagement thus greatly improving the ability to re-engage with the outer unit.